La Grange man faces 22 charges

Man caught after foot chase is charged with Greene, Pitt and Beaufort County crimes

Margaret Fisher / Staff Writer

SNOW HILL — A La Grange absconder, caught after a foot chase into the woods behind Chase Drive, is in Greene County Jail under a $240,500 secured bond.

At about 2 a.m. on Sunday, Snow Hill Police Officer Jeff Hill performed a traffic stop on Kingold Boulevard near the Greene County Recreation Complex. The driver of the car was apprehended for speeding.

Greene County Detective Charles Boyette and Deputy Travis Cunningham heard the name of the owner of the car, passenger Danny Earl Lewis, over the VIPER radio and came to the scene.

Boyette said Lewis, 21, of 84 Winding Lane was “fresh in mind” because Detective Johnnie Morris had taken out warrants on Lewis earlier in the week.

The driver said he was taking Lewis, who appeared to be nervous, home, Boyette said.

When the officer asked Lewis a series of questions, Lewis replied he wasn’t nervous, didn’t have identification and his name was Damian Lewis, Boyette said.

“I told him I didn’t think he was Damian Lewis,” Boyette said, “because Damian Lewis is actually in prison.”

Boyette said Damian Lewis is the suspect’s brother, and he recognized Danny Lewis’ tattoos from a previous arrest.

“I was walking around the car,” the officer said, “and he took off running.”

Lewis allegedly ran towards Chase Drive and into the woods behind the road. Cunningham chased him on foot, while Hill followed him in his police car. Boyette got the driver into his vehicle and followed Hill.

When Lewis got into the woods, all three officers pursued him by foot.

“He probably got about maybe 30 yards in the woods before he gave up,” Boyette said about Lewis.

Lewis, panting from the run, requested an ambulance, but was checked out OK by EMS workers, Boyette said.

He was charged with giving false information to an officer and resist, delay and obstruct.

He faces 10 previous charges in Greene County, including two failures to appear for felony larceny and possession of stolen goods. Other charges in Greene include felony probation out of county, obtaining property by false pretense and additional counts of felony larceny and possession of stolen goods.

Pitt County charges are robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault by pointing a gun.

Eight charges in Beaufort County include felony larceny, felony conspiracy, attempted larceny and breaking and entering — all failures to appear.

Boyette said charges involved residential larcenies.

Lewis was confined in Greene County Jail and is scheduled to appear in Greene County District Court June 7.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

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